Charles County, Maryland
Charles County is a county in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Maryland. As of 2010, the population was 146,551. Its county seat is La Plata. This county was named for Charles Calvert (1637–1715), third Baron Baltimore. Charles County is a part of the Washington Metropolitan Area. History Charles County was created in 1658 by an Order in Council. There was an earlier Charles County from 1650 to 1653, sometimes referred to in historic documents as Old Charles County. In April 1865, John Wilkes Booth made his escape through Charles County after shooting President Abraham Lincoln. He was on his way to Virginia. On April 28, 2002, a tornado cut through the County and destroyed much of downtown La Plata. The county has a number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places. Law and Government Charles County is reliably Democratic, although not as overwhelmingly so as other parts of Maryland's Washington, D.C. suburbs. Board of Commissioners Charles County is governed by county commissioners, the traditional form of county government in Maryland. There are five commissioners. As of 2008, they were: Charles County is entirely located within the 5th Congressional District. The current representative is Democratic House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer. Geography According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of , of which (or 71.67%) is land and (or 28.33%) is water. In its western wing, along the southernmost bend in Maryland Route 224, Charles County contains a rare instance where the traveler is due north, east, south, and west of the same state—Virginia.This oddity of political geography happens in other places in Maryland, the sole state with points where travel as the crow flies due north, east, south, and west goes into the same state (Virginia). Adjacent counties * Prince George's County (north) * Fairfax County, Virginia (northwest) * Calvert County (east) * Stafford County, Virginia (west) * Prince William County, Virginia (west) * St. Mary's County (southeast) * Westmoreland County, Virginia (southeast) * King George County, Virginia (south) National protected area * Thomas Stone National Historic Site Economy Top employers According to the County's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers by number of employees in the county are: Transportation One United States Numbered Highway runs through the county U.S. Route 301, some other notable highways are: * Maryland Route 5 * Maryland Route 6 * Maryland Route 210 * Maryland Route 224 * Maryland Route 228 * Maryland Route 925 Hunters Brooke Arson On December 4, 2004 an arson took place in the development of Hunters Brooke which is located a few miles southeast of Indian Head. It later became the largest residential arson in the history of the state of Maryland. Demographics | valign="top" | |- |} The county is experiencing a dramatic growth in African-American population, which began in 1990. Census figures below are from 2000: As of the census of 2000, there were 120,546 people, 41,668 households, and 32,292 families residing in the county. The population density was 262 people per square mile (101/km²). There were 43,903 housing units at an average density of 95 per square mile (37/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 68.51% White, 26.06% Black or African American, 0.75% Native American, 1.82% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.72% from other races, and 2.08% from two or more races. 2.26% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 11.6% were of German, 10.8% Irish, 10.2% English, 9.3% American and 5.3% Italian ancestry according to Census 2000. There were 41,668 households out of which 41.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples living together, 14.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.50% were non-families. 17.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.21. In the county the population was spread out with 28.70% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 33.20% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 7.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 95.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $62,199, and the median income for a family was $67,602 (these figures had risen to $80,573 and $89,358 respectively as of a 2007 estimateCharles County, Maryland - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder). Males had a median income of $43,371 versus $34,231 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,285. About 3.70% of families and 5.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.70% of those under age 18 and 8.60% of those age 65 or over. As of 2010 the county population's racial makeup was 48.38% Non-Hispanic whites, 40.96% blacks, 0.65% Native Americans, 2.98% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islanders, 0.17% Non-Hispanics of some other race, 3.20% Non-Hispanics reporting more than one race and 4.27% Hispanic. Cities and towns This county contains the following incorporated municipalities: #Indian Head (incorporated 1920) #La Plata (incorporated 1888) #Port Tobacco Village (incorporated 1888) (Note that, despite its name, Port Tobacco Village is a '''town,' not a village.)'' All three are classified as towns under Maryland law. About half the County population lives around the large unincorporated community of Waldorf, Maryland. Unincorporated areas are also considered as towns by many people and listed in many collections of towns, but they lack local government. Various organizations, such as the United States Census Bureau, the United States Postal Service, and local chambers of commerce, define the communities they wish to recognize differently, and since they are not incorporated, their boundaries have no official status outside the organizations in question. The Census Bureau recognizes the following census-designated places in the county: #Bennsville #Bryans Road #Hughesville #Potomac Heights #Saint Charles #Waldorf Other unincorporated places not listed as Census-Designated Places but known in the area include: #Bel Alton #Benedict #Bryantown #Cobb Island #Dentsville #Faulkner #Grayton #Ironsides #Issue #Malcolm #Marbury #Morgantown #Mount Victoria #Nanjemoy #Newburg #Pisgah #Pomfret #Popes Creek #Pomonkey #Ripley #Rison #Rock Point #Swan Point #Welcome #White Plains Education Colleges and universities *College of Southern Maryland, in La Plata. Public school system Notable residents *Jane Herbert Wilkinson Long (1798–1880) is considered to be the “Mother of Texas.” *Benjamin Stoddert (1751–1813), first United States Secretary of the Navy *Samuel Alexander Mudd (1833–1883)- Born in Charles County, Mudd is the Maryland doctor implicated and imprisoned for aiding John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. *George Cary (1811–1850), born near Allens Fresh in Charles County, United States Congressman from Georgia *James Neale (1615–1684) Born Drury Lane, London, England immigrated 1634, founded Wollaston Manor plantation and Cobb Island. *Prominent American Revolutionary War statesmen John Hanson, Thomas Stone, Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer, and General William Smallwood *Barnes Compton, US Congressman *James Craik Physician General during the American Revolution, and Gustavus Richard Brown were George Washington's physicians. *Josiah Henson (1789–1883) former slave and author. *Co-discoverer of the North Pole Matthew Henson (African-American) and Captain Raphael Semmes of the Confederate ship "Alabama" were born near Nanjemoy. *Chuck Brown, hip-hop musician, lives in Waldorf *Christina Milian, musician, lived in Waldorf *Joel and Benji Madden from the band Good Charlotte grew up in Waldorf *Robert Stethem, noted terror hijacking victim, grew up in Pinefield, Waldorf *Danny Gatton (1945–1994), legendary guitarist, lived in Newburg *Larry Johnson, running back for the Washington Redskins is from Pomfret, Maryland. *Randy Starks, defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins is from Waldorf. Sports See also *National Register of Historic Places listings in Charles County, Maryland References External links *Charles County Government **Charles County Commissioners' Office Category:Articles with inconsistent citation formats Category:Counties of Maryland Category:Washington metropolitan area Category:Charles County, Maryland Category:Potomac River counties Category:Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area Category:Established in 1658